Gustafson played two seasons for the U of Minnesota-Duluth men's indoor club team. Moving to Honolulu and obtaining his Master's Degree at the University of Hawaii, he learned the beach doubles game on the legendary sands of Queen's Beach, Fort Derussy, and the outrigger Canoe Club. In 2013 he moved to California to pursue beach volleyball and to further his graduate studies. He currently lives in the Santa Barbara area, where he is working on his PhD at UCSB.